Police caught boozed-up learner driver

Derby magistrates’ court heard on Tuesday, November 28, how James Robert Shaw, 30, of Hobson Drive, Ilkeston, was stopped by police while he was in the car on his road.

Prosecuting solicitor Peter Bettany said: “Police stopped a Ford Ka because it had no insurance. The defendant who only has a provisional driving licence and was driving unsupervised and without ‘L’ plates and police noted that there was a feint smell of alcohol and there were several empty beer cans in the vehicle.”

Shaw registered 87 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

He pleaded guilty to exceeding the drink-drive limit, driving without insurance and without a licence after the incident on October 30.

Shaw said: “I bought the car because I had failed my test and so I could stop paying for lessons and it was my stupid fault for going out.”

He added that he had gone to a friend’s home and had some beer and he had only driven to nearby Kirk Hallam.

The court heard Shaw is not likely to lose his job because his employer is making arrangements for him to picked up. Magistrates fined Shaw £490 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £49 victim surcharge.

Shaw was banned from driving for 20 months but if he does a drink-drive rehabilitation course this can be reduced by 25per cent.